cursive
Americanadjective
-
(of handwriting) in flowing strokes with the letters joined together.
-
Printing. in flowing strokes resembling handwriting.
noun
-
a cursive letter or character.
-
Printing. a style of typeface simulating handwriting.
adjective
-
of or relating to handwriting in which letters are formed and joined in a rapid flowing style
-
printing of or relating to typefaces that resemble handwriting
noun
-
a cursive letter or printing type
-
a manuscript written in cursive letters
Other Word Forms
- cursively adverb
- cursiveness noun
- noncursive adjective
- noncursively adverb
- transcursive adjective
- transcursively adverb
Etymology
Origin of cursive
1775–85; < Medieval Latin cursīvus flowing (said of penmanship), equivalent to Latin curs ( us ) (past participle of currere to run) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Cursive is a style of writing in which all the letters in a word are connected. It's also known as script or longhand. When the third-grade students learned cursive writing, they were excited to find that they could write entire words without lifting their pencil from the paper. Cursive comes from the past participle of the Latin word currere, which means "to run." In cursive handwriting, the letters all run into one another and the hand runs across the page, never lifting between letters. Every time a document asks for your signature at the bottom of a document, you are meant to use this flowing cursive writing style.
Vocabulary lists containing cursive
Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Frindle
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Brown Girl Dreaming
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some of the detectives’ notes had been written in cursive, which she helped translate for her younger teammates.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
Her legal team argued that the way Cathay Home has styled the word "Swift" in its branding closely resembled the singer's trademarked cursive signature.
From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026
This feels important enough to warrant a metaphor, yet too complicated to be summed up by any single letter—even a cursive capital G, if those still exist.
From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025
She took a picture of the grimy hotel room where she stayed, capturing the swirling cursive on the sign for the dialysis center across the street in the background.
From Salon • Nov. 2, 2025
It’s the only paper written in casual printing rather than the formal cursive of a school assignment, and the handwriting is tiny.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
